One Step Closer To The End
by animefreak141
Summary: InuYasha and the gang set out on another adventure, yet they have no idea what they're in for. Will they find Naraku? Will InuYasha get his revenge for Kikyo? Find out now! *Incomplete*
1. Chapter 1

_InuYasha stooped to the ground as he sniffed with much consideration. "Dang! He's already passed through here," he snarled under his breath. _

_" Come on InuYasha! Hurry up! I'm starving!" Kagome was tapping her foot with impatience. _

_"Now, now Kagome. I'm sure he has a perfectly good reason of why he's taking a little longer than expected," said Miroku with a gentle face._

_"Uh! He's been sniffing around for over ten minutes already," she said in a whinny voice."He's probably picking on some poor traveler again."_

_Finally, Miroku just decided to go see what InuYasha was up to himself. " I'll be right back," he said with a sigh._

_"Hey, Kagome!" Shippo can running up to her suddenly._

_"Oh, hi Shippo!" she said surprised. "Any luck?"_

_"Not at all," Sango popped in the conversation suddenly. " Shippo and I searched everywhere that there might be food. Sorry." _

_"We really did," Shippo said backing up Sango. _

_"Well, thanks for trying you guys. Maybe on the way to the next village, wherever that is, we'll come across something," Kagome said with disappointment._

_"So, InuYasha. Have any luck?" Miroku said slowly approaching him._

_"Yeah, but I don't know if you would exactly call it luck," he replied with an upset look on his face. _

_"What ever do you mean?" Miroku said starting to worry._

_"Well, I can definitely smell Naraku, but it seems as though he's already passed through. And do you know what that means?" he said quickly looking up at Miroku from the sniffing position he was in. _

_"Uumm. It depends." Miroku said with a quiver in his voice._

_InuYasha rolled his eyes. "It means that there must be a village up ahead," he said whilst staring at Miroku who had a distorted look on his face._

"_So, in other words that village is most likely to be wiped out in a few moments?"_

_InuYasha looked toward the horizon. "If it hasn't already."_

_"Why do we have to get there so quickly?" Kagome asked atop of InuYasha's back._

_"I told you. We have to get there before Naraku destroys the village that's right ahead."_

_Kagome tilted her head with big eyes. "Aw. You really care about those poor villagers, don't you?"_

_InuYasha stopped running and sharply turned his head to Kagome. "Now you're just twisting my words. I never said I cared about the villagers. I only care about finding Naraku and beating the living daylights out of him." He turned his head around once more and took off again with one swift leap._

_"Sheesh," Kagome thought. "Remind me next time to not ask InuYasha about caring for someone."_

_They gently glided along with Sango, Miroku, and Shippo riding on Kirara just above their heads. _

_"So, Miroku. What was InuYasha doing over there when you went to find him?" Shippo said with gleaming eyes. _

_"Well, he was doing exactly what was expected: sniffing for Naraku."_

_Shippo looked down."Oh. I thought he did something worth talking about. I'm so bored," he said with a slump._

_Miroku thought for a second then said," Well, how about we just all sit here and wind down from our traveling. Maybe take a nap." Those were the only words Shippo had to hear before he conked out. Miroku gave a chuckle and flopped down with him._

_A few moments after they fell asleep, they were awakened by the piercing sound of Sango's voice talking to InuYasha. Yet, she had to yell instead of talk, because she was floating above him. So, that just made it even better for the two. "InuYasha! I see a village up ahead! It doesn't look very good and I think I smell smoke."_

_InuYasha looked to the sky to give a reply. "I was afraid of that. I could smell the smoke miles before, but I didn't want to believe it was from the village. I guess the only thing we can do is keep going."_

_Sango had to dangle her head over the side of Kirara just to get a glimpse of InuYasha. "I'd say your right," she said straining her neck. "Maybe once we get to the village we might be able to find some clues as to where Naraku is." She turned to Miroku and Shippo who had ignored her voice and gone back to sleep. "Miroku! Shippo!"_

_They both simultaneously jumped up and said, "What!?!?"_

_Sango too jumped in surprise. "This is no time for sleeping. We're about to reach the village and I don't think it's going to be a pretty sight."_

_Shippo fell backwards and said, "Those are exactly the words I didn't want to hear. Ugh."_

_Sango shook her head at the sight of the little kitsune. "Well, there's nothing we can do about it. So, I guess we're just going to have to suck it up."_

_"Ugh," Shippo groaned again. "I'm so hungry. Do you think when we get to the village there will be food?"_

_Sango was facing forwards now. "Right now I'm just hoping there will still be a village there. Wait a minute." She spun around swiftly to find Miroku spread out once again. "I told you to wake up!"_

_Kagome stood staring at what was left of the village with her mouth gaping open. "Oh my gosh," she said aloud. "How could all of this possibly happen in that short amount of time?"_

_"It's called Naraku." When he spoke, he didn't even turn to face Kagome. He to was standing in front of what was left of the village, staring in awe._

_Sango looked around slowly. "Does anyone else hear that sound?"_


	2. Chapter 2

_At that cue they all started scanning the area. Kagome was the first to speak. "Yeah. Come to think of it I do hear something."_

_Sango looked to Kagome. "Sounds like a voice, doesn't it?" Kagome nodded back. _

_"I think we should take a look around," suggested Miroku. They all apparently agreed, seeing as to how they all started to walk in different directions._

_"Over here!" Shippo's little voice chirped. They all came rushing over at once. Lying before them was an older man, who looked like a lord. _

_"Are you all right?" Sango questioned._

_The old man tilted his head slightly. "Evil. Evil demons. Man dressed as a baboon. Evil. You've got to help. Please!" At first the man seemed crazy to them, but then they realized he was just in a state of almost shock._

_"We'll help you old man. Just tell me which way the man dressed as a wolf went." The man slowly lifted a hand and pointed his index finger. "Thanks. Now," he said averting his attention to the others. "You stay here and I'll go up ahead. Take care of this man." Then in an instant, he jumped up and took off running as fast as he could. "Don't worry," he called back. "I'll come back."_

_"Everyone grab a side and help me take him to this tree," Miroku said with determination in his eye. They all pitched in and took the man to the tree._

_"Bless your souls," he said with a shaky voice._

_"Now kind sir, tell us everything that happened," said Miroku._

_"Well, it all started as a normal day. I, being the lord, was going over some plans to add a new portion to our village with a carpenter. It all happened so quickly after that." The old man closed his eyes in deep concentration. "Yes. I was about to go out to the village square to announce that he would indeed build us the other section when I heard screams coming from women and even men. I ran outside to find my village burning to the ground and a man in a baboon outfit standing before me. The only thing I remember after that, is him saying,' Death is near' ,or something like that. The next thing I knew he threw me to the ground with one hard strike of his arm. Then you arrived." All of that talking wore the man out. He closed his eyes once more._

_Miroku was now looking at the burned village. " I see." He turned to Sango and Kagome. " You two , please go try to find some water for this poor man. Shippo and I will stay here and try to take care of his wounds." The two nodded in agreement and took off for the search._

_"Dang! Naraku you've done it again. Huh, better enjoy it while you can, 'cause when I find you I'm gonna rip you limb from limb," InuYasha said trying his best to keep from going on a rampage. "Wait." He suddenly stopped and stuck his nose to the ground. "Ha! Think you can hide, huh? I better go get the others." He lept straight off the ground and started bounding in the way he came from._

_Back at the village...."There, how is that?" Shippo said tilting a cup of water to the man's lips._

_"Ah. Thank you little kitsune. I am much obliged," the old lord replied with a smile._

_"Don't worry about it, Sir. I'm just trying to help a kind heart."_

_Kagome's head suddenly sprang up from helping Sango and Miroku with the man's cut leg. "I think I hear InuYasha coming. I hope he has good news about Naraku," she said as she stood._

_"Sango, please hand me some more bandage wrap," Miroku said. _

_"Well, well, well, he's looking pretty good. How ya feeling old man?" InuYasha said slowly approaching the group._

_"Fine. Thank you," replied the man._

_"Hey, Miroku. Come here a minute,"InuYasha said turning the other way._

_Miroku slowly stood. "Excuse me one second." He turned to InuYasha."What is it? Did you get any leads on Naraku?"_

_"Yeah. I could smell which way he went. I also found someone wandering in a forest up ahead."_

_"Who was it?" Miroku said with a puzzled look._

_"Kohaku."_

_"Oh, boy. Did he have that deranged look in his eye?" Miroku questioned._

_"Yeah. I'm starting to think that he might have helped Naraku destroy this village. We need to leave as soon as possible. Go tell Sango, Kagome, and Shippo we're leaving," InuYasha said turning to the old man. "Old man."_

_"Yes boy?" the man said looking up at InuYasha._

_"I am afraid it's time for our departure. Is there anything you need? Do you need us to take you somewhere?"_

_"No, I think I'll be fine. To tell you the truth, before I became the lord of this village, I was like you. I traveled far and wide, so I think that if you can just help me up, I can be on my way to the next village."_

_"I think I can do that," InuYasha said lifting the man to his feet._

_Miroku chofered Kagome and the others over to a nearby bush. "Ok, here's the deal: when InuYasha was out looking for Naraku, he found two things. He caught a scent of Naraku, and he thinks he knows where he might be heading towards. He also saw someone in the forest." Miroku paused._

_Sango looked at Kagome then Miroku. "It's Kohaku. Isn't it?"_

_"I'm afraid so," Miroku said looking to the ground._

_"Well, maybe he didn't have that crazy look in eye," Shippo volunteered._

_"He did."_

_Sango quickly looked to Miroku. "You don't think.."_

_Miroku nodded. "InuYasha does. That's why we've got to leave."_

_They all nodded in agreement and headed back towards InuYasha and the old lord. Miroku tapped on InuYasha's shoulder and said," We're ready." _

_"I am too," he said."Alright,do you need any thing else?" InuYasha asked the man._

_"Now that I'm on my feet, I don't think so. Thank you for all your help," the lord said with a smile._

_"No problem. Hope life's good to you in the future."_

_"Wait one second."__Miroku turned to the man. __"When the man dressed as a baboon came to your village, did you see a boy?"_

_The man scratched his chin. "As a matter of fact, I think I did. He was going into one of the village huts."_

_"Thank you," Miroku said. "Goodbye," he said as he walked away with the others._

_"Bye!" the lord called back._

_"Bye!" Shippo, Kagome, and Sango chirped back._


End file.
